Arriving a year later (nearly to the day) and also as a Disney Sunday Movie on ABC, Bride of Boogedy somehow slipped through my spooky viewing cracks as a kid. To the point where (and in the interest of being a Friday Night Frights completionist ), I’m only just this year finally giving it a watch. Having rolled credits on the first installment countless times, I really can’t say for sure why this one always alluded the Halloween playlist. Maybe because even when reminiscing about Mr. Boogedy over the years with others who remember it fondly, the sequel never came up as well? Maybe I actually did see it and it was so awful, I had to wipe the watch from my brain completely?
Could it possibly be that forgettable and/or awful?
The short answer is: Awful? No. Forgettable? Kinda? First of all, where Mr. Boogedy’s runtime was a brisk 45 minutes, now we’re twice that at a near hour and a half. It borders on being a bit much to ask for this sort of thing but certainly not the end of the world either. Cleverly, our story kicks off with a spooky campfire recap of the events from the first installment (think Friday the 13th Part 2), And right off the bat, it’s clear that Bride of Boogedy has a bit more production value going for it this time around (the theremin score throughout is fire one hundred and does a lot of heavy lifting, helping to sell that sweet, spooky mood).
So we’ve come back to find that the good old Davis family have fully embraced the lore of their creepy abode, treating the home as a full blown haunted house. Even going so far as executing an apparent homicide attempt by giving their visiting family member a heart attack via some Costco quality Halloween decorations. Meanwhile, it also seems that someone has taken on the role of the thought to have been destroyed Mr. Boogedy and is once again legitimately haunting their home. Some standard issue Lucifer Falls stuff so far. Which is something that I want to point out as being the real strength of this sequel: It does a very good job of expanding outside of our protagonists’ house from the first entry and gets the entire town of Lucifer Falls involved in the proceedings. Some high(ish) quality world building right there.
But as far as supporting players, unfortunately we don’t have the pedigree of John Astin’s appearance this time around. Instead, we’ve been “up” (down?) graded to Eugene Levy playing a small shop owner who has a mad on for Carleton (Richard Masur, back as Pa Davis). It all devolves into a lot of odd twists with surprising possessions and deaths at every turn that I won’t give away here. Culminating in a fairly satisfying tale of the return of our main man, the real deal Mr. Boogedy. You almost can’t wait to see the guy!
The actual plot and jokes are a bit all over the place in terms of quality but what keeps the whole thing glued together is that (much like the original) the overall tone of playfulness and family friendly spooky atmosphere is fully intact. I had fun watching this one as a bit of a time capsule (despite the fact that there’s really no reason it should be as long as it is). It’s a definite relic from a time where kids’ scary story productions masterfully walked that tightrope of comedy and horror. I liked The Bride of Boogedy but can’t say that I loved it. This opinion though could easily be influenced by the fact that I’m just now seeing it in 2026 and it certainly has the potential to grow on me.
In the end, I’d say this follow up manages to sit alongside the original as a fairly worthy companion piece. It does kind of play as though the original kept going which is a big compliment. Sadly, it also marked the end of what could have easily gone on to become an annual Holiday treat. This second go around with the Davis family proves that there was still enough creative gas in the tank to keep that train rolling but it wasn’t meant to be (despite many of the cast and crew vocalizing their willingness to return). Oh well, I guess that’s R.I.P. for good this time Mr. Boogedy.
